The Clear Blue Sky
by LadyDeadpool007
Summary: Misora is a ANBU agent who is ready for a change. So, she becomes the squad learder of group of ninja's who work beside Kakashi's squad. Yet, can Misora keep herself out of falling for the mysterious man beneath the mask?
1. Chapter 1

Sitting at the village famous Ichiraku Ramen shop (a small building with a huge opening where people sit to eat the ramen on a bar. On the other side of the bar is the kitchen where the ramen is made. A sort of banner hangs half-way down from the top of the opening and says in Japanese 'Ichiraku Ramen') was a lady with mid-night blue neck length hair. She had two large _kunai knives _on her back and a Hidden Leaf Village headband tied around her waist. Her mask covered her face, starting from her nose, while her light blue cat-like eyes stood out.

She signaled a man in his mid-forties with two fingers in a sort of waving way. He had a short hat on and an apron. "One bowl of Miso Ramen, Teuchi, please," she said.

"Right away," he said nodding and smiling at her.

A young girl with long hair in a bandana came up to the woman and smiled sweetly. "Another successful mission, Misora," she asked leaning with her elbows on the counter.

"Yes, of course," Misora nodded. "That is why I'm here; to celebrate another success with my favorite ramen." Misora smiled under her mask, but it was visible she was smiling by her eyes closing.

"Oh, yeah, my favorite place in all of Konaha," a young boy came up to the ramen shop and sat in the seat right next to Misora. "Iruka-sensei can I have any bowl I want," he asked turning eagerly to a young man standing behind the boy.

The boy had scruffy blonde hair and big bright blue eyes. He was wearing an orange jumpsuit and on his face he had three whiskers on each cheek. The man who was standing behind the boy had a leaf village ninja headband on his forehead and a long scratch going across the bridge of his nose; connecting from one side of his face to the other. He was wearing a standard Konaha ninja outfit; a dark green vest with scroll pouches, and had his brown hair tied back.

_I recognize these two, _Misora thought. _That man is Iruka, a ch__û__nin__ teacher at the Ninja Academy, and the boy…that is the Nine-Tailed Fox__ kid._

"Here's your ramen," the young girl handed Misora the Miso ramen and began to ask Naruto and Iruka what they wanted to eat.

"We'll have two Miso ramen, please, Ayame," Iruka said politely.

"Can I have two bowls, Iruka-sensei," Naruto asked looking up admiringly at Iruka.

"One is just enough, Naruto," Iruka said sweetly. He patted Naruto's head and sat down on the bar stool next to Naruto.

Not long after they had been handed their ramen they began to chow down. The shop was quite; the only sound was slurping and chewing.

"Naruto," Iruka said gently.

"Hmmm," Naruto mumbled placing a chopstick-full of noodles into his mouth.

Misora continued eating silently, but listened to the conversation, intrigued by what Iruka had to say to Naruto.

"Why, of all places, did you choose to deface that spot," Iruka asked gently referring to an occasion that previously took place; Naruto put graffiti all over the Hokage Rock. "I mean, you do know who Lord Hokage is, right?"

Naruto turned to look at Iruka and said with his mouth full of food, "Of course!"

Still munching on his ramen, Naruto mumbled, "To inherit the Hokage name…he'd have to have been the best shinobi in the village. It was The Forth Lord Hokage who saved our town by finding a way to beat the demon fox."

Misora remembered that night when the demon fox attacked and pictured the face of the Fourth Hokage's face in the mountain.

"Okay…then why," Iruka asked again.

"Because one of these days, they'll be calling me Lord Hokage!" Naruto slurped in the last of his ramen noodles. Raising his chopsticks in the air he snapped them loud and proclaimed, "I'm going to surpass everyone who came before me!"

Misora looked over at him with a bit of noodle sticking out of her mouth. _He can't really be serious_, she thought.

"And when that day comes, everyone in town will have to give me some respect at last!" Naruto set down his chopsticks and placed his hands together, in a praying position. "…By the way…master, I need a favor…"

"Another bowl of ramen," Iruka asked, already thinking he knew the question.

"Uhhh…your headband. That leaf you're wearing…pretty please?"

"My…this? No. Not yet. No way." Iruka reaches up to touch his headband. "It's a badge of adulthood. You don't get one until you graduate!"

"What a rip-off," Naruto yelled.

"Hah! So that's why you took off your goggles!"

"Hey!"

"More ramen here," Iruka gestured to Teuchi.

Smiling to herself, Misora put back up her face mask and placed the money on the counter.

"Thanks for coming, Misora-sama," Ayame called after her.

Misora gave a small wave and turned to leave the small famous village ramen shop.

Any other time, after a mission, Misora would write a report of what happened and send it into the Hokage or one of his advisers, but, instead, Misora had some very urgent papers to give to the Hokage in person from the mission and went straight to the Ninja Academy, where on the top floor was the Hokage's office. As Misora walked down the hall to the office, it was completely empty. _Perhaps, it is too late to be visiting the Hokage,_ Misora thought.

The door to the office was a plain brown door, but Misora knew it was the office because she had been in the office many times. Knocking lightly, she heard a reply "come in."

Opening up the door she saw the Hokage, a old man with white robes with red trimmings and a white hat to match, with a the word 'Hokage' in Japanese on the front of the hat, sitting behind his large desk, covered with papers and folders. All around the room were windows looking out, to the village. It was night time so the buildings twinkled bright lights into the large room and gave the village a metro feel. On the ceiling hung a large chandelier creating the lighting for the office.

The Hokage looked up from his crystal ball and smiled in a grandfatherly way. "Oh, Misora, kinda late to have a meeting isn't it?"

"Yes sir. I apologize if I interrupted something important," Misora said. She stood tall in front of the desk and rested a hand on her hip.

"No, I was just checking up on some people." The Hokage linked his fingers together and rested his chin. "What can I help you with?"

"Well, it's something I can help you with. I just arrived from my month long mission and have collected the evidence or records that you required." Reaching for her back, she removed her black backpack and pulled out a stack of folders. "These are all the rogue ninjas from the other Hidden Villages…from this year." She placed the tall stack on the desk and put her backpack back on.

"That many," the Hokage asked. Looking down at the stack he had a look of disappointment. "I can't believe that this many ninjas have decided to go rogue."

"It is a shame," Misora said nodding. "I have placed a red tag beside the name of any rogue ninja I believe, could be, a possible treat to Konahagakure6."

"Good work, Misora. I knew I placed the right Anbu7 for the job." The Hokage smiled up at Misora. "You must be quite tried from your mission; traveling to every single Hidden Ninja Village."

"Yes, I am very tired. I missed my home." Misora smiled.

She stopped smiling and placed her hand back on her hip. "I know that you have not looked at the profiles yet, but I, personally, think that a spy who had been lurking here is soon moving to The Land of Waves."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because a man who goes by the name of Gatô is there. He is considered the richest man in the entire nation, maybe the world. I came across a man who said that he was hired by Gatô to kill any shinobi he saw."

"Who was this man?"

"I'm not sure," Misora blushed under her mask. "I killed him before I could learn his name."

The Hokage sighed. "So, Gatô has his eyes set on The Land of Fire."

"Not just our country, but the whole nation. He wants to be the CEO of the whole world. And right now he is busy on conquering The Land of Waves."

"That settles it then. If Gatô is in The Land of Waves I need you to go there and finish him or finish his 'program'," he said with a tone of great leadership. "I don't want the country to be on high alert that you will be there. Whenever we send an Operations Squad down there I'll assign you to go along with them. Once there, you can cancel out the threat of Gatô and possibly find our spy."

"Hai10," Misora said. _When will I ever get a break to sleep all day, _she thought and saluted the Hokage.

"One more thing…can I ask you a question?"

"Of course," Misora said lowering her hand.

"Have you ever thought about having a disciple?" His eyes got wide. "Every ninja at some point must have a student to carry on their ninja-way."

Misora gulped. "Well, I have pondered it…and I did find it interesting…to be a teacher."

"I think I have just the student for you," he said. "She would gladly take any teacher we would give her, but I wanted to give her the best we could offer."

"How nice," Misora muttered. "I would love to teach her, but…what will that mean for my mission at The Land of Waves?"

"She would accompany you. Show her the ropes on how it is to be a true Anbu Black Ops ninja. Teach her The Will of Fire. You will be the perfect sensei for her."

"What is her name?"

"Oshiro Aiko, she was born in the Hidden Grass Village, but her parents moved her to Konaha in hopes she would become a successful ninja…" The Hokage stood up and placed his hands behind his back. "Would you be willing to be this girl's teacher?"

"I would…be willing," Misora said, but thinking in the back of her mind _Great, I never can have a break…_

"Very well," he said nodding, "I will send her profile to your apartment tomorrow, so you may look it over. Then on the next day you can conduct an exercise to analyze her strengths and weaknesses. See what she needs to be taught."

Misora nodded and with a flash, and a single hand sign, she teleported out of the office and into her apartment.

Her apartment was very small, but it held everything she needed when she was home on a break. In the back room was the bathroom and right beside it was her closet. She had no need for any other clothes then the ones she was already wearing, but she thought it would be safe to hold all her weapons and extra clothing in the tight closet. On the right side of the room was her bed, it was just how she left it a month ago. Clean, brown and blue, sheets and a thick, warm brown blanket. Above the headboard was a little shelf that held pictures and a, now withered, plant. On the far left was the window looking out to the village. Based on the apartment's location, from the window you could see the Hokage Rock in the distance and down below the busy streets of the village Misora dedicated her life to protect. She had a desk, but you could barely see the surface of the wood; it was covered with folders and scrolls. Then in a little corner was her 'kitchen.' It had a fridge, a sink (empty of dishes), and a small table to sit and eat.

"I've missed being home," Misora sighed. Dropping her backpack on the floor, she hopped onto her bed and fell into a deep sleep.

Misora was lying in her bed reading her favorite book, Risky Destiny, when there was a knock on her door. Jumping up, she went to the door and opened it to see a fellow Anbu agent. He was wearing a porcelain mask that resembled a cat and was wearing a white cloak over his clothing. "There is a high alert to find Uzumaki Naruto. Every ninja is needed," he said.

"All right," Misora said. She nodded at him and closed the door. From the other side she could hear him teleport out of the apartment building and probably to tell another Anbu the news. Quickly, Misora slipped on her hand guards, shoes, wrapped her headband around her waist, and strapped her weapons into place on her body. On her bedside table was her own Anbu mask. It was made of porcelain and resembled a fox with red paint. She reached for her mask, but decided she did not need it and with a flash of smoke she teleported out of her apartment and into the Hokage's office.

There was a crowd of ninjas all around the Hokage. Some of them were yelling, saying things like "This time he's gone too far! Lord Hokage!"

The Hokage raised his hand to silence everyone. "The scroll he has taken is so dangerous that the very first Hokage sealed it away! If misused, in the wrong hands, it could be deadly!"

Misora looked beside her and saw Iruka. He had a distressed look on his face and she could clearly see he was sweating.

"It was taken half a day ago. We have to find him!" The Hokage nodded and in a huge smoke every single ninja jumped up into the air and set out to find the Uzumaki kid.

Misora went jumping up and down the village looking for Naruto, but she could never find him…because Naruto was in the forest with Iruka and Mizuki.

Misora came back to the crowd and everyone was still flipping out about Naruto.

"Did you guys find Naruto!"

"Not yet!"

"This is awful! What are we going to do…?"

"He could be miles away by now!"

The Hokage coma out and said peacefully, "We have nothing to fear."

Everyone became quite and looked at him confused.

"He won't be gone long," he said.


	2. Chapter 2

Misora turned to leave the giant crowd of upset shinobi, but the Hokage called her over. Leaving the rowdy crowd she stood in front of the Hokage and nodded her head. "Yes, Lord Hokage, what can I help you with?"

"I was going to send in the profile to your apartment, but since you are already here I can just hand it to you," he said. "Follow me, please." He nodded at her to follow beside him.

Out of the corner of her eye Misora saw Iruka coming up holding a giant scroll and a beat-up man by the neck. "Lord Hokage, I have recovered the scroll and the man who caused this to happen," Iruka said huffing. He dropped the man onto his knees before the Hokage. The man had shoulder length light blue hair and his eyes were black with bruises all over his face. He was wearing a regular Konaha ninja outfit like Iruka.

The Hokage scowled down at the man and said, "Who is he?"

Iruka gasped, "You don't know him?"

_No way,_ Misora thought, _this is the spy. _"Lord Hokage, this man is the spy who has been giving our information to other enemy villages!" Misora pointed down at the man with disgust. "I've been working to find you," she said through clenched teeth.

"Is he now," the Hokage said calm and collected, "and what is your name?"

The man coughed and glared up at the Hokage. "Like…I'm telling you." He coughed again and remained glaring up at the Hokage.

"Very well," he said. Out of nowhere two Anbu appeared and grabbed the man by his shoulders. They had on animal masks and wore all black. One had the mask of a fox and the other the mask of a strange cat. "Find out who he really is."

"Yes sir," they said at the same time as one voice.

"I'm going also," Misora said.

"No, you have another task," the Hokage said. He nodded to the two Anbu and they teleported themselves down into the Foundation with the spy. "Iruka, I want you to find one of my advisors who can take care of that scroll," the Hokage said turning to Iruka.

Iruka nodded and turned to leave.

The Hokage continued walking down the hall with Misora, but a tall man with an Anbu mask on turned around the corner and came face to face with the Hokage. "Oh, excuse me, Lord Hokage," the man said. He stepped back away from his face and did a little bow in a sign of respect. The tall Anbu had a mask of a gray wolf and through the slits for the eyes Misora could see them being a light gray.

The man looked over at Misora and she straightened her back right away and looked away from his eyes. In a low voice the man said, "Misora, what are you doing out of your station? You will be needed to conduct another mission." Misora recognized from his voice that he was Captain Hato, the leader of her division and her squad. He was strict and worked hard for the Foundation. He would have never let Misora work beside the Hokage if it was his decision because he was solely loyal to the Foundation, not the Hokage.

"Yes, Captain Hato, but-"

"She is already in another mission; one I assigned her to," the Hokage said. He had a stern look on his face. "Is there anything you need to tell me Captain?"

Hato nodded in an apologetic way and said, "Lord Danzō requests a meeting with you immediately. He is waiting in the main conference room."

Danzō was the advisor over the Foundation. He conducted everything in the program; from where a member lived to how the missions were completed. Misora thought of him as the ultimate puppeteer. If Danzō knew that the Hokage was telling Misora what to do he would be beyond outraged.

"Inform him that I will be there shortly," the Hokage said.

"Yes sir," Hato said. He bowed again and teleported himself gone.

"I haven't told Danzō about my plans for you yet. This would be a good time to tell him, wouldn't it?" The Hokage and Misora continued walking down the hallway and stepped into his office.

"Sir, if I could say it, I think, it would be best if I changed my position," Misora said in a cautious tone.

"What do you mean?"

"Instead of working in The Foundation any longer…I may become a regular Jônin."

"Why do you think that?"

"I cannot say what I think," Misora said in a low voice.

"Hmm," the Hokage stroked his beard. "The Curse Mark of the Anbu, I forgot. With the Curse Mark on your tongue you are forbidden to speak ill of the Foundation or what goes on inside the program."

"Yes sir," Misora said quickly. "I would like to tell you my theories in my mind, but if I did I would lose my tongue forever…I will never be able to speak again."

He nodded, "I understand."

Misora gulped down what she wanted to say. "I've said too much." She shook her head. "I must leave; may I have the profile so I can be on my way?"

The Hokage sighed and placed the folder in Misora's open hand. "Just so you know I am fully aware of the dangers that surround me…and I will try to work with Danzō to make you an Operation's Squad leader." He smiled slightly. "Hurry so you can meet your new student at noon today on the old Aka Bridge."

"Yes sir," Misora muttered. She did a simple hand sign and teleported out of his office and into her apartment.

Misora was getting out of the bathroom from taking a long shower when she looked at the black kitty-cat clock above her sink. It was a cute little clock with the head of a cat on top and the clock as its belly with his black tail swishing back-and-forth from every second that passed. _Oh, no, I'm going to be late_, Misora thought from seeing that the time was 11:30. She had to be at the Aka Bridge at noon and the bridge was on the other side of the village from her apartment.

Misora quickly dried her neck length mid-night blue hair and began to get dressed in a rush. When she put on her left shoe and looked at the time it was already 11:40. Misora wanted to teleport to the bridge, but teleporting was not allowed in the town unless it was from the Hokage's offices to your apartment. That way no spy could see where an ANBU agent was living. Then the spy could break into the ANBU's home and steal important information about the Foundation.

Leaving her weapons behind she ran out of her home. _If I jump from rooftop to rooftop I could save time and pass by all the people in the streets. _Misora's apartment was on the top floor of the complex, the fourth floor, and was easy to reach the roof. She began jumping when she remembered she never read Aiko's profile. She did not know what she would encounter when she met Aiko, but whatever it maybe Misora would not know until after their meeting and she got the opportunity to sit down and read the folder.

As Misora became closer to the bridge she got down from the roof's and walked through the thinned out street. Most people were inside a restaurant eating their lunch or at home. That left the streets clam and easy to walk down. The Aka Bridge was the first built bridge in the village. It crossed the Aka River; a smooth, calm water river that appeared to be red from the rocks at the bottom of the river. The bridge was made out of all wood from the nearby forests and had fading red paint. In the middle of the bridge was a young girl sitting on a bench looking down at the water going under the bridge. She had a look that she was in a deep thought…a sad thought.

"You must be Aiko," Misora said standing beside the bench the girl was sitting on.

The girl looked at Misora quickly and lost the gloom in her eyes. Instead the girl with knee length red hair smiled a sweet smile and her narrow gray eyes twinkled cheerfully. "Oh, yes, I am. Are you my new teacher," the girl asked. She had a normal voice, but it reminded Misora of her childhood friend who would always cause trouble and had a thing for mischief.

"Yes. My name is Akiyama Misora." Misora smiled under her mask. "May I sit with you?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," Aiko said quickly. Right beside her was a sketch book and pencils. She grabbed them and placed them on her lap.

"Is that your drawing," Misora said. She looked down at the sketch book and saw the lines making out the formation of the Aka Bridge.

"Yeah," Aiko said shyly. She flipped the page cover over and closed the sketch book hiding the gray drawing.

"You like to draw? May I see what you have drawn so far?" Misora held out her hand for the book.

"No," Aiko said with a glare in her eyes. "I don't let anybody look at them."

"Oh," Misora put her hand back on top of her lap. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to offend you."

Aiko looked down at the floor and held the book close to her chest.

"Well, why don't you introduce yourself?" Aiko said looking into Misora's eyes. She no longer looked upset and had a smirk on her lips.

"Me? Hmmm, well there isn't much to say…" Misora blushed under her mask. "But alright. What do you want me to say?"

"Well, what you like, thing you hate, your hobbies, your dreams and goals for the future; that would be a good beginning," Aiko said smiling.

"Very well, things I like and things I hate," Misora thought about it for a second. "I don't feel like telling you that. Hobbies…I have lots of hobbies. My dreams for the future…hmmm I never really thought about it." Misora looked up at the sky. "As for my goals…that's really none of your business."

Misora smiled. "Okay, your turn."

_She didn't tell me anything. The only thing I know about her is her name…_Aiko thought bitterly.

"All right," she said. "My name is Oshiro Aiko. I'm 14 years old and I was born in the Hidden Grass Village. I like to listen to music, draw, and watch my favorite shows. I also like to cook and babysit my nephew Kenta. He is so cute! I love him so much and I couldn't live without him!" While Aiko was talking she made grand hand gestures, as if she was talking with her hands. "I hate people who aren't loyal and aren't reliable!" She scowled, "People who don't respect my family or my friends."

"I have hobbies of listening to music, drawing, and watching my favorite shows," she said counting it down on her fingers. "Cooking and watching my nephew Kenta."

_She already said that, _Misora thought. _This girl likes to talk a whole lot. That could be her number one hobby…_

"And my dreams and goal for the future is to become the best at taijustu and show other people that just because you can't control your chakra perfectly doesn't mean you can't be a ninja!"

"Hmmm," Misora mumbled. "You have no control over your chakra?"

"Well, kinda. I am able to sometimes control it. I want to learn to control my chakra though. Just so I have no weakness when it comes to battling enemy ninjas!"

Misora smiled. "Well, I can help you with that. Easy," she snapped. "All we need to do is have a little exercise tomorrow so I can see what I can help you improve on. See your style of fighting."

"Right," Aiko nodded. "What will the exercise be?"

"Oh, I can't tell you that! It would ruin the surprise!"

Aiko frowned. "Of course," she muttered under her breath. "Then how am I going to be able to train?"

"Just train like you normally do. I want to see you fighting at your best." Misora stood up. "I'll meet you tomorrow at 5 at the training grounds. Bring all your ninja gear."

"Wait," Aiko stood up also. She pointed at Misora's right bicep. Misora normally wore long sleeve shirts, but right now she was wearing a shirt that had no sleeves. Aiko lightly touched Misora's bicep where she had a tattoo of the ANBU mark. "You are an ANBU Black Op," Aiko said completely shocked.

"Yes," Misora said. She placed her hand over the mark to cover it.

"Wow that is so cool!" Aiko smiled big. "You've killed many people haven't you? I mean you're the real deal! Oh, when we go on missions will we do ANBU ranked ones?"

"No," Misora said.

"But why not," Aiko frowned.

"Because you're only a genin," Misora said. "I'll meet you tomorrow."

"But-," Aiko stammered.

"Bye," Misora said. She turned around and began walking away from Aiko and back to her apartment to put on her long sleeve shirt.

The wind blew strong and made Aiko's hair sway with the breeze. "Goodbye," she said in a sad tone.


	3. Chapter 3

When Misora got back to her apartment she made herself an instant bowl of ramen and sat down at her table to read Aiko's profile. She opened the folder and the first piece of paper was a photo of Aiko. Below the photo were two simple sentences to summarize the kind of shinobi Aiko was. "_Smart, tough kunoichi__ with a talent for taijutsu_," Misora said out loud. "Hmmm, she did seem excited about hand-to-hand combat…_she has a very strong mind and an iron will. _Reminds me of somebody I know." Misora thought about Uzumaki Naruto back at the ramen shop when he talked about becoming Hokage…he would never give up till he reached his goal.

Misora flipped the page and the next page had all of Aiko's data. Some of the things were her birthday, age, height and weight, and her blood type. She turned the page again and it had a full bio of Aiko's past, her present, and what was expected for her future. Misora ate a chopstick full of noodles and leaned back in her chair. "I could read through the whole thing, but it could take me all night," she said looking up at her white ceiling.

There was a knock at the door and made Misora jump from leaning her head back. She quickly put her mask back up and went to the door. When she opened the wooden door it was her landlord. Her property-owner was an overweight woman who always wore ankle length nightgowns. Today she was wearing a blue dress with little flowers all over it. "Oh, hello Mrs. Miyamato," Misora said smiling. "How are you?"

"Where is my rent," the woman asked in a shrill voice. Mrs. Miyamato had slanted black eyes and fine, straight coffee-colored hair in a messy bun.

Looking at Mrs. Miyamato made Misora's eyes itch just thinking about all the cats in her apartment. "I apologize," Misora said. "I have been away-"

"Have you now? Every time I came over to your home you never answered the door!" She put a finger in Misora's face. "You are 2 weeks late on rent!"

Misora took a deep breath. "I've been away on a mission. When I get the money I will pay you back, as soon as I can."

"Well," Mrs. Miyamato huffed. "You better!"

There was a little meow at Misora's heel. She looked down to see a black cat with white fur on its chest area and tip of its tail. The cat rubbed its side on her leg and went between her legs.

"Is this your cat," Misora asked. She reached down and picked up the cat.

"No," Mrs. Miyamato replied annoyed. "I don't own every cat in the village!"

_She only dreams about it,_ Misora thought. She scratched the back of the cat's ear and it purred happily.

Mrs. Miyamato rolled her eyes and turned to walk away. Misora closed the door behind her and set the cat down on the floor. "You hungry," she asked the cat. It meowed happily and starred up at her. Misora poured the cat a bowl of water and placed on a plate a chopstick full of noodles from her ramen. "There you go," she said placing the food on the floor in front of the cat.

Misora finished reading through Aiko's profile and in her mind she tried to summarize the important things to know about her new student. Aiko was born in the Hidden Grass Village and shortly after her family moved to the Hidden Leaf Village a tragedy occurred. A still unknown person murdered both parents leaving Aiko and her older sister, Kiyoko, to raise themselves. Kiyoko later had a son, Kenta, and worked as a waitress at a restaurant. Kiyoko did not have ninja abilities and neither did her parents. The only people in the family who had some control over their chakra were Aiko and Kenta. Wanting to make her family proud Aiko has not stopped training in what she was able to do and trying to push her limits learning new skills. Kenta was only 6 years old so he was only an academy student.

Misora looked out her window and saw a full moon over the village. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. "Time to go to bed," she said and laid down in her bed. The cat jumped up onto the bed and rested at her feet.

Aiko was standing at the training grounds Misora told her to meet her at, but it had been a whole hour since Aiko arrived and Misora had not.

"Where is she," Aiko complained sitting down on the ground.

Misora came walking up to the training ground wearing a backpack and a smile beneath her mask. "Good morning, ready to get going?"

"NO," Aiko yelled. She jumped up quickly and her face turned a deep red. "You told me to be here at five! It has been two hours!"

"Oh, well I woke up late from doing a report…I apologize." She scratched the back of her head.

Misora dropped her backpack on the ground. "Let us begin," she said calmly.

"Right," Aiko said quickly, but under her breath she was mumbling because she was waiting all morning.

"Remember, I want you to fight against me like you would normally do. By that I can tell what you need improvement on and what your strengths are." She pulled out a bell from her back pocket and holds it out for Aiko to see it. "Your objective is to retrieve this from me and run it all the way to the other side of the forest. There will be the finish line."

"Easy," Aiko said excited.

"But wait there will be rules. In this test there will be three trails. The first trail will be using ninjutsu, second trail will be genjutsu, and the final trail will be using taijutsu. You have one hour for each trail and three hours to complete the test." Misora nodded and began to tie the bell around her belt loop.

"What do I get if I win?"

Misora stared at her for a moment then said, "You get to eat your lunch. But if you fail you get no lunch. Instead, you watch me eat your lunch in front of you while you are tied up." _That seems fair. My sensei did that to me on my tests._

"That's not fair," yelled Aiko.

"Deal with it," Misora said grimly. She pulled out a timer from her backpack and set it on the ground. "It will go off at ten."

"Alright," Aiko yelled and began running towards Misora.

Misora quickly turned Aiko around by her arm and laid her down on the ground with her knee on her hands. "I didn't say 'go' yet, brat."

Aiko grunted and gritted her teeth.

"Patience is one thing I see you clearly need." Misora got up and stepped away. "Now, wait for me to say 'go'…one."

Aiko stood up and got in a ready fighting stance.

"Two…three…GO!" Misora jumped back from Aiko, but Aiko did not go after her teacher…yet. Instead, she turned around and went to the trees to come up with a plan.

Misora was still standing in the same place twenty minutes later and Aiko still could not come up with a strategy. She was sitting behind bushes thinking quietly in her mind of what to do, where to attack first, how to undo the bell…_Maybe I should just wing it…this is just a test that will see my weaknesses…I should just do what I know, but no matter what I do it won't make a difference because she is older, stronger, wiser, and a ANBU ninja. Wait a second…_

Aiko walked out of the bushes and began making her way towards Misora. She was standing in the same place, but had a book out and was reading intently.

"Hey, this is not fair at all! You're stronger than me; how am I going to defeat you?" Aiko yelled standing thirty meters away from her target.

"Simple. I'll go easy on you." Misora smiled under her mask.

'_Simple!' There is no possible way my lousy ninjutsu can beat hers!_ Aiko stood there staring at Misora for a moment then it finally came to her. _I got it!_

Putting her hands together Aiko successfully created a clone of herself. Misora looked up and saw four Aikos instead of one.

"Impressive," Misora said and turned the page.

Aiko turned to her clones and began to whisper to them her plan. They all nodded in acknowledgement and moved to run a circle around Misora; one person per side. The person on Misora's left was the first to arrive. Misora moved back quickly and the clone ran right past her into the clone on her right. Then the clone behind her tried to grab her, but Misora ducked down. The real Aiko, who was infront of Misora, came running straight at her and tried to kick her while she ducked, but Misora jumped up and did a front flip landing right behind the real Aiko. Aiko blinked quickly and noticed that she just kicked her clone in the legs knocking her over onto the ground.

Aiko turned around and tried to punch Misora, but she caught her hand and held it away. "You can only use ninjutsu right now," Misora said still focused on her book.

Aiko growled inside and pulled her hand away. Wanting to quickly recover Aiko created new clones, six this time. They all began to run straight for Misora, but Misora already had an idea planned inside her head. Right before Misora could make her move an unknown clone came up behind Misora and grabbed her in a holding position. "What," she exclaimed dropping her book. Aiko and her clones came running faster and right before Aiko punched Misora there was a puff of smoke.

When the smoke cleared Aiko saw that she just punched…herself. Misora had used a replacement justsu. The real Misora was possibly sitting up in some tree laughing at Aiko's sudden realization that she could actually punch herself. All her clones disappeared and left only one Aiko standing there, the real Aiko.

Misora looked at her wrist watch and saw that the first hour had passed. The second trail had begun. She jumped down from the tree she was hiding in and yelled at Aiko that the first trail had passed.

Aiko nodded and began trying to figure out a genjutsu. She couldn't create successful ones, but if she needed to she could break the illusion and get back to reality. Before Aiko could continue thinking she felt a get wave of water hit her legs. She looked down and saw that she was standing in the middle of a puddle. She quickly jumped out and started running all throughout the forest looking for Misora because she was not standing in the open. Aiko felt like it had been hours while she looked all over the forest, but then she understood…she stood in water, but when she stepped out she had never got wet feet. Putting her hands together she broke the genjutsu that Misora had placed on her and found that she was standing in the open with Misora a few meters away reading her book.

"Oh, you're back? Good to know. You have already spent twenty minutes meandering all around the open and the forest," Misora said.

"I won't fall for it again!" Aiko put her hands together and tried concentrating on creating a genjutsu for Misora to run around in. When she looked up she saw Misora running to the forest and jumping from branch to branch. Aiko laughed with herself and began running after Misora so she could easily take the bell while she was stuck in an illusion.

After chasing Misora everywhere, Aiko finally realized it was here who had been put in an illusion of chasing Misora. She broke the justsu and found she was lying out in the open on the ground. She sat up and saw Misora sitting under a tree reading.

"You have ten minutes left," Misora said.

_Forget this. I'm going to skip this trail. I just need to focus on staying in reality for ten more minutes._

The ten minutes passed and Misora stood up putting her book away. "The third trail has begun. You may now use taijutsu."

Aiko knew she could do this now. Taijutsu was what she was best at. She went running as fast as she could for her teacher and when she was close enough she began throwing her kicks and punches. Misora was on the defense blocking the blows and landing one or two on Aiko. Aiko did one big punch, but Misora caught her hand. Aiko lifted her leg and tried to do a kick, but Misora caught her leg. With one arm and one leg available Aiko tried to kick using her leg. Misora let go of her hand and grabbed the leg. With two free hands and Misora with none this was Aiko's chance to grab the bell. Reaching, upside down, Aiko gripped the bell and pulled it off the line. Misora saw what she did and quickly tossed Aiko away and had her hands free again.

Aiko held the bell in her hand and she was not going to let it go now. As soon as she was let go Aiko ran as quick as she could to the forest and began making her way to the finish line. She was jumping on every branch dashing as fast as she could…with Misora not far behind her chasing Aiko to get the bell back.

Aiko saw the finish line and jumped right on the line. She had passed the test, she got the bell, and she got to eat her lunch.

**Marina Was Here :3**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay here is the 4th chapter! Kakashi finally makes a appearance. I'm sorry if you think Kakashi acts off character, but I have to admit that there are no examples from the anime on how Kakashi acts when he likes someone...so i'll just write him in the way i think he would act. Though i'll try really hard to stick to his character :3 read & review **

"Good job," Misora smiled down at Aiko's excited expression.

"Thanks," Aiko smiled holding the bell in her hand triumphantly. "Now, I can eat my lunch!"

The finish line was beside a memorial stone for K.I.A. ninjas that had benches on both sides for people to look at the stone and sit. The sun was shining in the sky brightly down on Aiko making her hair look like a fiery red and her skin was flushed from running so fast away from Misora. As for Misora, underneath her mask, she was breathing hard, but she tried to control her breathing. She had not run that fast ever since she got back to the village. Misora did not run that fast because she wanted to challenge Aiko too harshly, but because it felt great to stretch out her legs and run with the window in her hair.

"Sure," Misora said with a congratulatory tone.

Aiko sat down on one of the benches and opened up her lunch box. "I always make sure that my lunch will be delicious! I just love to cook."

Misora sat next to her new student and crossed her legs like a lady. Leaning on the back of the bench she gazed at the memorial stone. "This stone…makes me remember so much," she whispered.

"Hmmm," Aiko mumbled with a mouth full of food. She looked up at the stone that she did not notice at first then at Misora. "Misora-sensei, what is this stone?"

"It is a memorial for any ninja killed in action," Misora said in a level tone, but in the inside she felt great rage and sadness. The stone was depressing because it held the names of all the ninjas who had died for what they believed in. The stone also angered Misora. Many of her comrades from The Foundation who died were not on the stone because their names were meant to be a secret. Almost like their life never existed and neither did their death. She felt that it was not fair for those who fought most fiercely in the shadows to be put on that stone along with the others, but…

_It is just a rock, _Misora thought to herself.

She looked over at Aiko to see that she was almost done with her lunch. "You sure were hungry weren't you?"

"Very," Aiko said quickly before putting another chopstick full of food into her mouth.

"Well, you did impressive against me. After this exercise I can see where you are struggling and what you are best at. You did great with taijutsu, as expected, and I can teach some new moves and techniques for that. Yet, you have no ability to tell when there is an illusion. Mental exercises will need to be done. Then for your ninjutsu I am glad to see you can do at least four clones of yourself."

"That took a lot of chakra out of me. I am surprised I was able to do that myself! Usually I can maybe do two." Aiko had then finished her lunch and set aside her empty lunch box. "When do you think we can begin these exercises?"

"As soon as we can," Misora said smiling under her mask.

"I'm so excited! I will really be training with you," Aiko exclaimed. She stood up with her hands on her hips, as if she was a hero. "I'm ready for anything sensei."

Misora looked at her with admiration. The stone standing behind Aiko then seemed distant. It just was not important to think about death anymore with a person so full of life standing in front of it. _This is what I want to leave behind. I want to be remembered, _Misora thought to herself.

Misora and Aiko parted ways later afterwards. Misora went to Ichiraku Ramen shop to go eat lunch and Aiko went back to the training area in the Academy to practice her regular routine.

As Misora casually strolled her way to the shop a kunoichi came up to her. At first she was not able to recognize him, but it was Iruka. He had a worried look on his face as he came face to face with Misora.

"Are you Akiyama Misora," Iruka asked tentatively.

"Yes," she said stopping in her tracks.

"The Hokage has asked that you meet him in his office."

"Okay, I will be on my way," Misora said. She made a step forward to walk away, but Iruka did not move.

"Have I seen you somewhere before," he asked smiling slightly, "at Ichiraku maybe?"

"Yeah, I go there time-to-time to eat their food." Misora nodded and smiled. "Well, the Hokage probably needs to see me right now. Goodbye Iruka." She continued walking and passed Iruka standing still, not moving out of Misora's way.

As Misora moved on down the crowded street Iruka watched and thought, _how did she know my name?_

Misora knocked on the brown door and heard an instant reply, "come on in."

She turned the knob and walked in to see the Hokage sitting at his desk (as normal) and a stack of papers in front of him. "Ah, Misora, it seems Iruka was able to find you. I have spoken with Danzō about you wanting to become a squad leader, as you requested."

The Hokage was smoking on his pipe that was long and made out of wood. The smoke filled up his face as he puffed out the gray cloud that smelled of peppermint and tea. He took a moment and paused with his pipe in his mouth. "It seems that Danzō isn't quite sure about your ability to do such a job."

Misora flinched quietly in her heart knowing that Danzō was not letting her go easily after all.

"So, I agreed with him. We want to do a test run on your abilities to work with others…ones that are younger than you." He took a pause and released his smoke. "Are you willing to take this 'test' that we set up for you?"

"Hai," Misora said bowing down her head.

"Very well," the Hokage smiled with his pipe in his mouth, "you will be going to the Land of Waves with Aiko and a unit squad. The squad will be led by Hatake Kakashi. His squad will include Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto. They will be under Kakashi's control and Aiko will be under yours."

"That is a large squad," Misora said smiling under her mask. _I finally get to do a group mission with others besides _anbu, she thought to herself.

"Yes, it is. I want you all to work together to complete the main mission at hand, but there will be two or maybe three on the side. I will tell you about the main mission tomorrow, but I have to tell you the side missions because I will not repeat them to the others besides Kakashi." The Hokage removed his pipe and looked on his right at the window. "Kakashi, you can come in now," he said towards the window.

Coming around the outside corner was a tall man with a slender body, but broad shoulders. His hair was a gray color and stood up at a slant. He wore a normal Jonin vest and black slacks, but his face was covered with a black mask and his left eye was hidden behind his headband. Yet, the only thing that I could not stop staring at was his right eye (the only eye that was visible). His eye was a dark gray color and the shape was a slender oval. Because of his mask I could not tell his expression underneath, but from his eye I could see that he was staring at me also.

_Trying to figure out who I am…maybe,_ she thought to herself trying not to blush underneath her mask from the strong gaze he had on her.

"Misora this is Kakashi, he will be working with you. Kakashi this is Misora, the ninja I was telling you about," the Hokage said slyly.

By that time Kakashi was already in front of Misora with his hand stretched outwards for a hand shake. This whole time when Misora was thinking about who this guy was he was climbing through the window and making his way over to her.

Misora looked down at his hand in a daze, but quickly snapped out of it and grasped his hand in hers.

"Nice to finally meet you," Kakashi said smiling, his eye closed and you could see his lips move underneath his black mask.

"Nice to meet you as well," Misora said smiling back.

_His hand is so soft, but he has such a firm grasp, _Misora thought, _you can tell a lot about a person from their handshake…_

"Good, now that you two have met I can begin talking about the side missions," the Hokage said leaning back in his chair.

"First side mission to focus on is gathering all the information you can about Gatô. If you remember he was that top tycoon that was a threat to buy off the Land of Waves as his own industry."

"I remember," Misora said.

Kakashi nodded remembering his conversation with the Hokage.

"Right, I need you two to find out all you can about him. I don't care about how insignificant you think it is you need to record the information. You can probably guess that he might have a few bodyguards so I don't want anybody trying to fight him…yet. This is mainly an information collection mission. This is an S-rank mission so none of the others can know."

Kakashi and Misora both nodded and said, "Hai."

"Secondly, don't forget your students. Naruto and the others will need to learn some basic chakra control. So give them a training exercise to do and work with them."

Kakashi nodded and said, "Certainly."

"And lastly I will need you, Kakashi, to work with Misora on how to teach younger shinobi. I have faith in you, Misora, to teach others, but learn a few tips from him on how to lead a unit squad." The Hokage smiled. "If all goes well, then you will have a squad of your own to lead."

"Thank you Lord Hokage," Misora said and bowed her head.

"So, tomorrow Kakashi meet us in the assignment room so I can give you the squad mission. Misora will be there with me with Aiko waiting to join you."

"Thank you Lord Hokage," Kakashi said and bowed his head.

"That's all I have to say," the Hokage smiled and waved them out of the room dismissing them.

As they left the Hokage's office and began walking down the long corridor, Kakashi turned slightly to Misora and said, "I think I will need to give you some warnings about the group tomorrow."

"Warnings," Misora asked, "what would you need to warn me about?" She stopped walking down the hall and turned her whole body towards Kakashi.

"About Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura; what you should expect from them," he said. He stopped as well right in front of Misora.

"Are they really that bad?" Misora gave a small laugh.

"Yes," Kakashi said smiling.

"Well, alright," Misora said smiling, "if it will help me survive the rest of the trip I'm willing to listen."

"Good, we can go out by the park and talk or-" Kakashi was cut off from the grumble that Misora's stomach made. "Get some lunch?"

"That seems like the best idea." Misora nodded and placed her hand on her stomach. _I didn't get lunch when Iruka told me to go see the Hokage, _she thought. _Shhh stomach! _Her stomach made another loud grumble.

"Soon," Kakashi said laughing.

Misora and Kakashi both smiled and walked side by side down the hallway. In order to walk out of the Ninja Academy they had to walk down the stair well to where the classrooms were. They passed a group of classes that were full of young students. One of the classes they passed Iruka was in the front of the room teaching his students. When they walked by Iruka looked over at them and smiled. He already knew Kakashi because Iruka was Naruto's former teacher.

Once they finally got out of the Ninja Academy the sun hit Misora's eyes. The sky was a bright blue and the clouds were quietly drifting in the sky. The sun made Misora's hair look blue and her skin seem like porcelain. As for Kakashi his hair looked silver and the sun made the color of dark gray in his eyes seem like a light gray.

"Nice day," Kakashi mused to himself, but mostly for Misora to hear.

"It is," Misora said back as she shook her head so that her bangs shielded her eyes from the sunlight. "Too much sun though."

Kakashi smiled under his mask at her and looked up at the sky admiringly.

Once they finally reached Ichiraku's ramen shop they saw that the shop was empty so they sat in the middle. Kakashi sat on Misora's left side so that he could see her with his right eye.

"Hey, it's Kakashi-san and Misora-sama! How wonderful, I'll get you two a bowl right away," Ayame said excited. She was the shop owner's daughter and she worked as the waitress while her father was the cook. She had long brown hair and eyes of the same color. She wore a white robe with the sleeves folded and some kind of dark blue apron with a ribbon that ties at the top and a bright white bandanna on top of her head.

"You come here a lot also," Misora asked acknowledging Ayame's reaction to seeing Kakashi.

"I like the ramen here," Kakashi said smiling.

"Here you go Kakashi," Ayame said sweetly setting down the bowls in front of him and Misora.

"Thanks," Misora said, but Ayame did not look or acknowledge her. Instead she had her eyes and attention on Kakashi. Misora noticed the young girl's attraction, but Kakashi on the other hand was absolutely oblivious.

Misora eyed him suspiciously to see if he did notice her affection, but he was busy looking down at his bowl of ramen. "Looks delicious," Kakashi said reaching for his chopsticks.

_Oh, well, it's not like it maters if he did or not_, Misora thought and reached for the chopsticks as well. _Oh wait, look at his face! _Misora quickly turned her head and Kakashi had his mask still on.

"What is it," he asked noticing that she was staring.

"Oh, nothing, nothing," Misora said looking away.

_Act normal you fool, _Misora thought. She looked over at him from the corner of her eye and reached for her chopsticks.

Slowly Kakashi pulled down his mask and revealed his face. His skin was smooth and clean, his nose was slanted at perfect angle, and even his lips were smooth and round. He was so handsome that Misora forgot about her 'not acting like a fool' and stared right at him.

"Are you okay," Kakashi asked again.

Misora was did not hear him. Instead she was watching his lips move. "Huh," she said quickly.

Kakashi smiled, Misora could actually see his smile and she blushed under her mask, and made a small laugh. "How convenient for you to see my face," he said, "Most of my comrades have never seen my face."

"If they wanted to they should have just invited you out to eat," Misora said chuckling.

Kakashi smiled one last time and turned his head to eat his ramen.

Misora took this as her chance and pulled down her mask to eat her ramen as well. As they both sat there slurping and chewing on their noodles Ayame gazed from a far at Kakashi face.

Kakashi was first to finish his ramen. When he did he wiped his mouth with a napkin and pulled back up his mask. Then he looked over at Misora and got to see her face.

She had smooth clean skin like him, but her cheeks looked like a light pink. Her nose was in the shape of a little button and made her lips look thin. Though there was shape to them that made them appealing.

_Almost like they should be kissed, _Kakashi thought to himself silently.

When Misora finished her soup, she set down her bowl. She turned to look at Kakashi because she felt him staring at her.

"Oh, how I love to eat ramen," Misora said smiling.

_Even when she smiles…_, Kakashi was thinking while he looked at her lips.

"Lucky for you Kakashi," Misora said and pulled up her mask.

"Why?"

"You're one of the very few people to ever see my face as well."

Ayame came up at this moment and jumped right in. "Oh, you two are done, would you like another bowl?"

"No thank you, I'm full," Misora said reaching in her pocket for some money.

"No it's okay Misora, I got it," Kakashi said quickly.

"Kakashi-" Misora was ready to protest, but Kakashi was faster at pulling out the money and putting it on the counter for Ayame.

"Thank you, but you didn't have to pay for me," Misora said while they were walking away from the shop.

"It's not a problem," Kakashi said shrugging his shoulders.

"Misora-sensei," Aiko called from behind. Aiko was walking by the shop and saw Misora walking alongside Kakashi.

Misora turned around and saw Aiko walking up to her. "Oh, Aiko," Misora said, "Is everything alright?" She smiled down at Aiko. Her hair was untamed and her face was pink and sweaty.

"Yeah," Aiko nodded eagerly, "I was busy training on my ninjutsu."

"That's good," Misora said, "That way you'll be prepared for anything." Misora motioned to Kakashi, "This is Kakashi. He is a sensei like me."

"If you have any questions, I can help you with it," Kakashi said.

"Wow, thanks so much Kakashi-sensei," Aiko said eagerly. "I can't wait to train with you tomorrow Misora-sensei." Aiko bowed her head. "Well, I better get going now. Thanks."

Misora and Kakashi both smiled at Aiko and waved good-bye to her while she walked away.

"That is your new student," Kakashi asked while we walked towards the park on the left side of town.

"Yeah, she talks a lot, but she does have great potential to be a good shinobi." Misora crossed her arms. "If she ever gets on your nerves, don't be afraid to tell her something while we are on the trip."

"Oh, it doesn't really bother me anymore. Naruto probably talks more than Aiko does. So, I've learned to ignore it."

They reached the park that had lights along a path that went in a lap around the park. Beside the track were benches to sit on and trees to provide shade. In the middle of the park was a spacious field that the villagers used for many occasions. Kakashi led Misora to an empty bench and sat down. He leaned back and crossed his arms. Misora sat beside him, but she did not sit back. She sat up straight and laid her hands on her laps.

"So, why don't you begin by telling me about Naruto," Misora said. "You said that you needed to warn me about him."

"Yes, he talks a lot and makes sure that all the attention is on him. Yet, he is not a monster like all the villagers make him out to seem. He is just a lonely kid who wants to be acknowledged. It is sad to see how people treat him, but there is nothing that can be done. He has to show the others that he is worth knowing and we, his teachers, need to be there to support him." Kakashi looked off past Misora. "The Hokage told me about all the hard times Naruto has been through…"

"I've seen Naruto before. He was dedicated to become the Hokage one day…that was his goal so that people would acknowledge him," Misora said. "He made me remember about the times when I was a young kid…I had dreams to someday become a powerful ninja…just like he has dreams."

Kakashi looked at Misora and saw that she was thinking hard about something. "Misora," Kakashi said knocking her out of her deep thought, "Where did you grow up?"

"I grew up in The Foundation…my mother…she was killed when I was a little girl," Misora said looking down at her hands. "I didn't understand at the time why my mom wasn't taking care of me anymore…so I just allowed myself to be swept away by the intense training and strict rules. I forgot about where I came from and who…my mother even was."

"When did you remember?"

Misora looked up at Kakashi's face. "When I was out in my last mission traveling to each Hidden Village," she said, "I saw so many happy faces. Parents who raised their children to become brave ninja, children laughing and playing with each other, and even love-struck couples holding each other. It made me all wonder why I couldn't be happy like them…why I didn't have a parent who was proud of me. Why did I never play in the street with other kids? Also, how come I can't have what those couples had when they looked into each other's eyes." Misora sighed. "Then I remembered that I did have a parent who was proud of me, but she was taken from me…"

Kakashi looked into Misora's eyes and saw the hurt that had been hidden. "My parents were taken from me as well," Kakashi said.

"Then you understand how I feel."

"Yes," Kakashi said in a low voice.

They both sat silent and looked at the ground. The mood had changed from the beginning when they met. At first the mood was calm and cool, but now air between them was thin. Misora felt that she understood Kakashi very well and he felt the same about her.

"Well, let's not think about it anymore," Kakashi said quickly.

"Sure," Misora said. "How about you tell me about the others?"

"There is nothing else to say about them anymore." Kakashi sat up and uncrossed his arms. "I'll allow you to make your own opinion about them tomorrow."

Misora sat up straight and nodded. "That sounds best," she said.

Kakashi stood up and put his hands in his pockets. "Do you want me to walk you home?"

"No, you don't need to," Misora said smiling. She stood up as well. "You've done enough for me today. You listened to me talk half the time and you even bought me lunch."

"Don't mention it," Kakashi said, "See ya." He waved his hand and disappeared into a cloud of smoke.


End file.
